Tuesdays Tip: Data management, and third party integration
This weeks Tuesday Tips continues on the ithlete Pro theme but focusing on data management across multiple devices, and integrating third party data into your ithlete Pro timeline.
Tuesday Tip: Safe, synched & insightful data with ithlete Pro
Today’s Tuesday Tip focuses on looking at the advantages of cloud-based data storage with ithlete Pro
High altitude and Heart Rate Variability
Commander Adrian Mellor talks us through some of the latest research in high altitudes and HRV
Tuesday Tip: The ithlete Pro™ Training Guide
The ithlete Pro™ Training Guide is a unique new chart showing your current physical state in two dimensions, recovery and activation, and is the next focus of our Tuesday Tips series.
Tuesday Tip: Using the ithlete Pro Timeline
Over the next four weeks we’re going to take a more in depth look at the main features of ithlete Pro in the form of Tuesday Tips. This week we’re starting with the interactive timeline.
Marginal Gains for a Big Improvement
Following on from a feature in the Guardian newspaper discussing marginal gains resulting in serious performance improvements we have posted a blog post taking a look at how ithlete contributes.
ithlete Pro – a first look!
Check out this great overview of ithlete Pro, the all new cloud based HRV tool.
A look back at 2014
A round up of whats been a busy year here at ithlete HQ!
Heart rate variability & Health – pt.1 Inflammation
Recent research sheds light on a vagus nerve ‘hack’ which reduces arthritic inflammation. This new evidence further backs up that an increase in your HRV through exercise can reduce inflammation.
Christmas Shipping & Gift Giving
Discount to facilitate giving HRV this Holiday season What is your favourite thing about tracking heart rate variability (HRV) with ithlete? Making training more efficient? Improved performance and competitive edge? Avoiding injury and illness? Or maybe the guilt free...Sports Nutrition Seminar
On Saturday I attended and presented at, a Sports Nutrition event in London aimed at sports professionals and athletes aiming to get the very most out of their bodies. It was run by nutritionist Matt Lovell, with a substantial contribution by ultra-runner Barry...We need your data!
Since we introduced subjective scales for sleep, fatigue, soreness, stress, mood & diet in ithlete v3.0 at the beginning of the year, we have been intrigued with the idea of seeing how these factors relate to changes in our daily HRV. We included a facility in the...Impact of offshore sailing on HRV
Tom Hayhoe who has been sailing for over 40 years discusses the impact of offshore sailing on HRV.
Observations from training & racing the Haute Route Alps
Creator of ithlete, Simon Wegerif shares some interesting observations regarding his HRV during training and racing in the event itself.
Using HRV to Manage Workplace Stress
Learn to keep your stress levels in check at the workplace which can improve your productivity and your health!.
Heart rate variability, colds & acupuncture
Heart rate variability, colds & acupuncture – a look at how acupuncture can affect your ithlete HRV.
How accurate are consumer pulse sensors?
Not very – according to a review recently undertaken by CNET. Senior Editor Sharon Profis collaborated with Cardiologist Dr Jon Zaroff to compare some popular health tracker devices to medical ECG equipment at rest and during treadmill exercise at quite high...Energy drinks and HRV
A short summary of Dr Mike T. Nelson’s paper on the impact of a Monster energy drink on heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and ride time to exhaustion.
The Science of Compliance
by Carl Valle In the article SaaS: How Quantified Self data is disrupting Professional Sports Part 2, I briefly went into compliance but personal feedback from coaches felt that I should have expanded that part into it’s own guide. I don’t know what the ideal...HRV after exercise: implications for training prescription
Introduction Researchers Jamie Stanley & Jonathan Peake from the University of Queensland, with the guidance of heart rate variability (HRV) sports research supremo Martin Buchheit have put together an important review article with over 120 references. The paper...John O’Regan won the Red Bull Wings for Life World Run!
Monday April 28th HRV= 72 Green. Taper time and a good result after yesterday’s race and I was half expecting it to be lower based on the effort I put in. Woke before the alarm but still managed to sleep a little bit more than usual as the alarm was set for a few...ithlete v3 is now available on Android!
Introducing ithlete v3 on Android Since releasing ithlete v3 on iOS earlier in the year the team have been working on delivering the same major updates for our Android users. Whilst the app basics (1 minute convenient HRV measurement to identify training readiness)...London Marathon Sub 3hr Pacer John O’Regan week report
Monday April 07th HRV 67 Green. A reasonable result after yesterday’s steady session and late night. Feeling good but will take it easy today. Easy lunchtime run of 7K staying slow and keeping an eye on HR which seemed than expected. That’ll be all for today...Training Camp by Amir Williamson
Good morning Guys, Just sitting here at Gatwick airport waiting to board a plane to Portugal, what’s that you say… holiday? I wish!!! My training partner Sam Milner and I, along with our coach Malcolm Fenton, are off on a two week training camp to the IAAF...Camp Digital user experience conference
Camp Digital We were invited to present at a User Experience event called Camp Digital in Manchester by the designer Chris Bush who helped us realise the v3.0 UI (user interface) design of ithlete. This was the first time I had presented to (several hundred) User...International CES 2014 ithlete press coverage
International CES 2014 was always set to be a hugely significant event for fitness technology companies with the fit tech area expanded by 30% from the previous year. On our first year at CES, ithlete fitted in perfectly. With a new high quality visually appealing...Validating the new ithlete Finger Sensor
Although ECG signals have been the gold standard for heart rate variability (HRV) due to the sharp, easily identified peak of the R wave, there has been a desire amongst researchers and practitioners to find a more convenient alternative. The pulse sensor, of the...ithlete v3 is here on iOS!
It’s been over 3 years since the ithlete app was originally designed, and with feedback from hundreds of separate users, we knew it was high time for a redesign of the user experience. It’s not so much about adding features (though there are some much requested...SaaS or Science as a Service – How Quantified Self data is disrupting Professional Sports Part 3
by Carl Valle The third part of this series reviews the growing sensor market and how to use the data from equipment such Tendo, Gymaware, and even new wearables such as the up and coming Push device and Angel Sensor. To wrap things up, an understanding of how all the...Tuesday Tip: Maintaining a flexible training plan
Some customers tell us they struggle with the idea of adapting training each morning, preferring instead to have a set plan in mind and sticking to it. Others often relay that time is the biggest restraint on their training and they can’t simply drop things to train...ithlete now supports Bluetooth Smart on Android
ithlete 2.3 supports Bluetooth Smart on Android – available now! Following the latest release from Google providing native Bluetooth Low-Energy support as part of its operating system, we are delighted to announce that ithlete now supports Bluetooth Smart on...ithlete at the 6th International HRV Symposium
This weekend we are off to Halle in the former Eastern Germany to present & exhibit at the 6th International HRV Symposium. This is a biannual event that consists of a full day program of both invited speakers who are authorities on particular aspects of HRV...Tuesday Tip: The importance of sleep
Sleep & Recovery Recovery is essential in any training programme and sleep is arguably the most important element of recovery. As most athletes know you don’t get fitter during workouts but actually when your body recovers, rebuilding and super compensating to get...Tuesday Tip: Record your training load
Why record training load with ithlete? It is strongly recommended athletes record training load in ithlete to add depth and meaning to their heart rate variability (HRV) data. Recovering from a hard session? Recording training load can often explain daily ithlete...Tuesday Tip: Using and maintaining your HRM strap
Many athletes use a heart rate monitor (HRM strap) during exercise to monitor the intensity of their training. We often assume this is a ‘fit and forget’ accessory, but there seems to be a lack of useful tips for use and care of the strap itself. With particular...Breathing and heart rate variability: The Research
The impact of breathing on different HRV measurements: implications for monitoring athletes Who, what & why? It has long been known that breathing affects heart rate variability (HRV). Many studies have tracked HRV in athletes – some have used free (spontaneous)...SaaS: How Quantified Self data is disrupting Professional Sports Part 2
by Carl Valle This second part of this series reviews not only blood analysis with the new InsideTracker Pro, but how to utilize the training load more effectively with better approaches to quantification. The ABC’s (Activity/Blood/Cardiology) reviewed in part...Tuesday Tip: Breathing affects heart rate variability
Breathing and heart rate are intrinsically linked Heart rate (HR) varies with breathing, as you breathe in HR speeds up, as you breathe out HR slows. This is known as Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA for short). This is also why deep/slow breathing is linked with...Luke Campbell ithlete utilisation
As the strength and conditioning coach of one of the highest profile athletes from 2012 the pressure was on me to get everything in place for the start of Luke Campbell’s professional career in 2013. In a review of his first professional fight camp we decided that to...Tuesday Tip: Time of measurement
Time of measurement We recommend taking your ithlete heart rate variability (HRV) reading first thing in the morning, preferably right after waking. There are a number of reasons behind this recommendation… Following a full night of rest It’s a well-known fact that...SaaS or Science as a Service – How Quantified Self data is disrupting Professional Sports Part 1
by Carl Valle After reading several blogs on HRV and physiological monitoring with athletes, I wanted to respond publicly on what I consider practical monitoring in applied sport science. I currently question if real data is being collected longitudinally, or are...ithlete v2.3 update for iOS
Today sees the release of an important update to the ithlete app, from this afternoon iOS (Apple) users can update to ithlete v2.3. Key features of the update include: iPhone 5 Screen optimisation The ithlete app is now a better fit for our iPhone 5 users! The layout...Fit to Train? Premiership & Football League feedback
It’s been an interesting few months talking to football clubs as they adopt the ithlete Team App, but as Clubs in the UK move from pre-season to the first critical games the questions and needs for the teams of all levels are suddenly changing. Put simply the ithlete...Training adaptation & HRV in elite endurance athletes: Opening the door to effective monitoring
Simon Wegerif looks at the latest HRV research review, Training adaptation & HRV in elite endurance athletes: Opening the door to effective monitoring.